Ramesh had been dreaming of visiting Kedarnath for years.
He’d heard stories from his grandparents, seen the towering Himalayas in glossy calendars, and this year, he finally convinced his family to go.
The plan was simple: book helicopter tickets online, save the elder folks from the trek, and soak in the divine experience.
He opened his laptop, typed in “Kedarnath helicopter booking”, and clicked the first link that popped up.
“Wow, looks pretty legit,” he muttered, looking at the high-res images of helicopters hovering over snow-clad peaks.
A blinking banner read: ‘Last few tickets left! Book now for ₹7,000 only!’
Without thinking twice, Ramesh clicked ‘Book Now’.
This isn’t fiction. Ramesh could be anyone: your neighbour, your uncle, or even you.
And what’s unfolding is one of the latest scams in India, targeting not traders, not investors, but devotees.
People with hope, emotion, and faith—all bundled into one vulnerable click.
The Char Dham Yatra, covering Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri, sees lakhs of pilgrims each year.
And with the increasing dependence on online bookings, helicopters, hotels, and registrations, cyber fraudsters have found their goldmine.
A Scam Dressed as a Blessing
The scam isn’t complicated. It’s disturbingly simple.
Fraudsters create lookalike websites that mirror official portals.
They throw in some spiritual imagery, slap on a few fake testimonials, and use SEO tricks to push their links right to the top of Google.
Once a user lands there and makes a payment, they vanish into the digital void.
In 2023-24 alone, over 47 cases of such fraud were reported just in Uttarakhand, with estimated losses running into ₹10 lakh. And these are just the reported ones. Many victims, out of embarrassment or helplessness, never even go to the cops.
A Father’s Faith, A Son’s Doubt
“I told him to wait, that we should call IRCTC or check the official site,” said Anuj, whose father was duped out of ₹24,000 in a similar scam.
“But Papa was excited. He said, ‘Beta, it’s a religious trip. Why would anyone cheat people going to see God?”
That’s the saddest part. These scams play on faith, not greed.
You’re not chasing profits here. You’re just trying to book a ride to a temple, seeking blessings, not bargains.
Authorities Are Waking Up
To be fair, the government isn’t sitting idly. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) issued alerts.
IRCTC confirmed that their only official booking site is heliyatra.irctc.co.in, and they’ve even blocked 80+ fake websites trying to impersonate official portals.
But here’s the catch: while sites get blocked, new ones pop up.
Even arrests have been minimal; just three people have been caught so far, and almost no money has been recovered.
Some of these scamsters operate from places like Jamtara, yes, the same town made infamous by Netflix, and use cloned websites, forged UPI handles, and burner phones.
The Trap Is Widening
What started with helicopter tickets has now expanded into full-blown package scams.
Many of these fake websites are now offering too-good-to-be-true hotel bookings.
Pilgrims, hoping to secure a stay near the shrine, are lured with discounts, pre-paid deals, and even “verified” reviews.
Only when they reach the spot do they realise, there is no booking. No hotel knows its name.
The number they called is switched off. And the money? Long gone.
Some websites are even listing non-existent hotels, names that don’t appear on Google Maps or local directories, but look real enough to fool someone who’s never been to the mountains before.
It’s evolved into a business model. And every pilgrim is a potential customer, for the wrong reasons.
So, What Should You Do?
Here’s the short answer: distrust first, verify always.
- Only book through heliyatra.irctc.co.in. That’s the only official site for helicopter bookings.
- For hotel bookings, cross-verify the property on trusted platforms like MakeMyTrip, Booking.com, or directly call the hotel to confirm.
- Be extremely cautious about websites that appear as Google Ads or have names that slightly differ from the real one.
- Never make payments through links received on WhatsApp or SMS from unknown numbers.
- If you suspect fraud, take immediate action and register with us. Our team will guide you in reporting the case on the respective platform.
Faith is Sacred. Don’t Let it Be Exploited.
Ramesh never got his money back. The site he booked from was taken down after a few weeks, but that didn’t help him or hundreds like him.
He eventually went on the trip on foot. Tired, wary, and a little more cynical.
“I wasn’t angry about the money,” he told me later. “I just couldn’t believe someone would cheat people trying to meet God.”
But that’s the world we’re in now—where even a pilgrimage isn’t safe from a scam.
So, if you or someone you love plans to go on this journey, remember this blog.
